Champion
by Tie-dyed Trickster
Summary: An old adversary returns just in time for the Budokai... Part 28 of the Geta!verse.
1. Chapter 1

_Set three months after_ _ **Second Kiss, First Time.**_

Yamcha stepped out of his taxi and looked around with a contented sigh. He'd only been here once before, but the Tenkaichi Budokai had left its mark on him, and he was excited to be competing in it once again. Straightening his tie, he made his way to the registration desk. Really, the only disappointment was that his friends were still back in the jungle, busy with various things – it would have been nice to have them see him compete, especially Raditz. He signed his name in the registration book with a smile at the thought of the tall saiyan. They'd been officially dating for a few months now, and Yamcha, for one, was enjoying it immensely. Raditz seemed to have grown more comfortable with the concept as well…

The ex-bandit was interrupted from his pleasant thoughts by a hand on his shoulder. "stop staring into space and move out of the way – some of us actually have a chance of qualifying."

Bristling, Yamcha turned to see a familiar green-clad figure glaring at him, all three eyes narrowed. He gulped, recognising the man as the Crane School student who had challenged Geta back before the saiyans arrived and, sure enough, his small friend was also there with him. His attitude apparently hadn't improved since then, but his power level certainly had. He would be a challenging opponent.

Then Yamcha blinked and realized he was looking down at the man slightly. Hadn't the guy been taller- oh, right, saiyan second puberty. Trust Bulma to make everything weird.

The triclops signed up and was turning back towards him, most likely to make another cutting remark, when another familiar voice spoke up.

"Yamcha?"

He turned to see a short youth in a suit with a fedora on his bald head and smiled. "Krillin! Good to see you! And you as well, Master Roshi."

"Hmf, your cute girlfriend not with you this time?" the old man asked in disappointment, looking around in the vain hope of spotting Bulma.

"We broke up a few years ago," Yamcha admitted, "And she's busy right now with work-"

"So, you're the Turtle School student who caused a stir at the last tournament," the triclops's cold voice interrupted, and Yamcha turned to see the man smirking at them, "I must admit, I had been expecting a more… impressive figure. Then again, what can you expect from Turtle School?"

Krillin bristled. "Oh yeah? And who're you, anyway?"

The triclops folded his arms. "I am Tien Shinhan of the Crane School, and this is my associate, Chaotzu," he gestured at the youth beside him, "And the next time you see me, it'll be when I'm throwing you out of the ring and showing the world that Crane School is the best – provided you make it that far, of course. Come along now, Chaotzu." And with that the Crane School students left, Chaotzu pausing to turn back and stick his tongue out at them before running to catch up with Tien.

Krillin glared after them. "That- _those_ \- those jerks!"

Yamcha snorted, "Yeah, he had a bad attitude last time I met him, too."

Roshi started at this. "you met a student of the Crane School and survived the encounter? I'm impressed – you must have improved greatly since the last Budokai."

"No, well, yes," Yamcha admitted, "That is, I _have_ gotten a lot stronger, but I've never fought that guy before – he challenged the champion of the dojo where I was studying at the time."

"Ah," Roshi's expression went grim, "Then you've at least seen what he's capable of."

"Kind of?" Yamcha scratched the back of his neck, thinking back to that fight and the exact level of success Shinhan had had with it, but Krillin got distracted before he could elaborate.

"Hey, Yamcha, I didn't know you had fans."

The ex-bandit blinked at this. "Fans? What are you talking about, I don't have any-" he stumbled to a halt as he turned to see what Krillin was pointing at. Standing by the entryway was a figure holding a large sign on a stick in front of him that had 'GO YAMCHA' written on it in blocky script. The sign hid the person's face, but the tip of a very familiar flame of black hair was peeking over the top, and as Yamcha watched an equally familiar grin appeared from behind it.

"Hi, Yamcha!" Geta called happily, "I'm a distraction!"

"A distraction? From wha-" Yamcha stopped mid-sentence as something warm, furry, and _familiar_ wrapped itself around his wrist, and he spun to fin Raditz, Bulma, and Pu'ar behind him, Geta scampering over to join them a few moments later, his sign resting on his shoulder, and Yamcha beamed, delighted. "You came!"

"Of course we did," Bulma smirked, "You didn't think we'd actually miss something like this, did you?" then she jumped and spun around to punch Roshi.

"Bulma, I see you're the same as ever," the Turtle Sen'nin grumbled, rubbing his head.

"Right back at ya, you old pervert!" Bulma snarled and went to stand with Geta, who turned a little pink at her proximity, "Anyway, Kakarrot couldn't come – busy training with Chichi."

"I can't say I'm surprised," Yamcha replied before turning to the two short men standing next to him, "By the way, Krillin, Master Roshi, these are Geta and Raditz. Guys, this is Master Muten Roshi, the master of the Turtle School, and Krillin, his top student and the runner-up from the last Budokai."

Raditz looked Krillin u and down "He's the one who bested you last time? He's tiny!"

"Normally I would take offense to that last statement," Krillin said, staring up at Raditz, "But I kinda see how that would appear to be the case from your perspective. Also, I hate to point out the obvious, but you have a tail."

Raditz looked down at the limb in question, which was still wrapped around Yamcha's wrist, then folded his arms and raised an eyebrow at Krillin. "So? You don't have a nose."

"Touché, I guess." He looked between Raditz and Geta, "Are you two going to compete in the tournament?"

The two saiyans looked at each other, then Geta shrugged and spoke for them both. "Nah, tournaments aren't really our thing."

Yamcha breathed an internal sigh of relief at this. He'd been matching strides with Raditz pretty evenly since the whole species-swap fiasco, but Geta had blazed ahead in a swift rise of power that was outpaced only by Kakarrot. The flame-haired man had found the challengers he'd been looking for all his life in the form of his race, and then he'd hit his second spurt. The results had been fairly impressive, and the saiyan's slight frame was more deceptive than ever in regards to the power it contained.

The relief was short-lived, however, as something else occurred to him. "You might have to fight anyway, Geta, unless you do something to hide your hair."

Geta blinked. "My hair? Why would I need to do that? I mean, I put a shirt on – _and_ shoes, be impressed – and I've got my power down. I can't look _that_ threatening!"

"Yeah, I was noticing," Yamcha admitted, "Any particular reason you decided that _that_ was the shirt to wear for this event?"

Geta stood up proudly, "Today I am here to cheer, not fight. And ain't nobody picking a fight with a guy who looks like me wearing a shirt like this! Also, it says 'bad man' on the back, which is funny because I'm not one – see?"

"I- yes it does," Yamcha snorted as Geta turned around to show him, "However it's still your hair that's going to be the problem right now – remember that triclops guy you fought a few years back? Well he's here and his attitude's as bad as ever. He'll probably want revenge."

"Oh. Well crap," Geta stuck his hands in his pockets, considering, "Hey, could I borrow your shoulder-cloth to use?"

"It's a kerchief and it's part of my gi, so no," Yamcha replied firmly.

"Shit. Guess I'll have to find something else. Hey Bulma, hold my sign while I look, please?"

Bulma accepted the sign and Geta wandered off into the crowd, an annoyed look on his face.

"Okay, who was that and why would Crane School Guy want to fight him?" Krillin demanded as Geta left.

"You know how you came to Master Moo-sun's dojo about a year ago to try yourself against the champion?"

Krillin nodded, "Yeah, he wasn't there so we fought instead. And I should warn you I'm _way_ better than I was back then!"

"I noticed – your ki's increased," Yamcha grinned, "I think we're going to have a tough fight if we face each other. Anyway, Geta's the champion of Master Moo-shun's dojo."

" _What_?!"

"WOULD ALL CONTESTANTS PLEASE MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE PRELIMINARY AREA – THE 22ND TENKAICHI BUDOKAI IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!"

"Well, that's our signal." On a whim Yamcha hopped up and hovered for a moment to steal a quick kiss from Raditz. "Later, babe!"

"Good fighting, bandit," Raditz responded, cheeks only lightly coloured.

"Thanks!" beaming, Yamcha headed for the contestants' area, followed by Krillin.

"So," Krillin started, sounding a little stunned, "You and Raditz, you're…?"

"Dating," Yamcha replied happily, hands behind his head, "Met him over a year ago now, got together with him a few months back, have been disgustingly happy since according to Bulma."

"Oh," Krillin digested this, then spoke again hesitantly, "So… you're gay now?"

"Bisexual," Yamcha responded, voice firm, "And I always have been. Why, you're not going to be weird about it, are you?"

"No!" Krillin said hastily, "But I want you to know I'm straight as a nail!"

"Also five years younger than me and not my type. I'm not automatically attracted to _everyone_ , you know," the ex-bandit said, unruffled. He hadn't exactly been the most knowledgeable kid on the block about sexuality when he'd been sixteen, either, and was willing to give the younger martial artist a little room to catch up.

"Right. Sorry." Krillin blushed, looking awkward, "I… know nothing about any of this. At all. Well, a tiny bit."

"Don't worry about it – a tiny bit's more than I knew at your age. You'll learn."

"Thanks."

"Again, don't worry – but do pick up your pace, we're the only ones still out here!"

"Crap!"

OoOoOoOoO

The preliminary rounds were easy, and Yamcha was surprised to see that he, Krillin, and the Crane School students ended up in separate blocks, though not that they'd all made it to the final eight. Yamcha had braided his hair for the preliminaries to keep it out of his face, but now he tucked it down the back of his tunic and removed the kerchief to store with his suit. It might have been part of his traditional gi, but there was no point in giving his opponents extra things to grab onto, especially things that could be used to strangle or control his head. He was generally confident enough in his skill to leave his hair loose, but he was taking no chances against Shinhan.

The lots were drawn for the first matches of the finals – Chaitzu versus Krillin, Jackie Chun against a man called King Chappa, Yamcha against an indian youth named Upa, and Shinhan against another youth named Panpoot.

Krillin blinked when he spotted Yamcha's opponent in the final group, then smiled and waved. "Hey, Upa! I didn't know you were coming here!"

"Krillin!" the youth smiled back, "I've been thinking about the stories you told me about the last Budokai and decided it would be nice to have some stories of my own to tell one day! So I trained and climbed the Tower, too, and, well, here I am! I was hoping to see you here."

They shook hands and Krillin turned to Yamcha, still smiling, "Yamcha, this is my friend Upa, of the Karin Sanctuary, Upa, this is Yamcha, the guy I fought last time!"

"Pleased to meet you," Upa bowed politely, "Krillin spoke highly of your skills when he came to train at the sanctuary. It will be an honour to test my skill against yours."

"Likewise, I'm looking forward to it," Yamcha replied, bowing back.

"Psh, sentiment."

The three looked up to see the Crane School students watching them coldly, Shinhan with an expression of distain on his face. "I recognise you now – you were at that little backwater dojo a few years ago, giggling in the back with some girl about numbers. You'd best pray you don't make it past the semi-finals, because if you do I'll be there, and I will destroy you for witnessing my humiliation at the hands of a pathetic ki senser!"

Yamcha folded his arms and met his gaze levelly. Two-thirds of his gaze, anyway. "Oh yeah, I remember that conversation. We were rating your attractiveness – I think we gave you a 6.3?" he looked the man up and down, "Pretty generous, looking back on it. I'd say you're more of a 4.8, factoring in your terrible attitude."

The triclops blinked at him, looking confused for a moment, then smirked. "Your attempt to disorient me would be admirable – for a child." He levelled his gaze at Upa, "I will assume that you will be the one I face in the ring. Prepare yourself."

"Yamcha," Krillin said very quietly as the triclops and his friend left, "I will admit, that was pretty ballsy. But you just pissed off a guy training to be a professional assassin. That was not smart."

Yamcha glanced at him, surprised. "Why are you so scared? He's tough, but not unbeatable. You, me, him – we're all actually pretty close in terms of ki, and with levels this similar brute strength'll be less of a factor in deciding the victor than skill."

"If you say so," Krillin mumbled, still looking nervous.

OoOoOoOoO

The first four matches were interesting but unremarkable in comparison to the ones that came after. Yamcha beat Upa with relative ease and offered him a friendly hand up after the match; the fight between Jackie Chun and King Chappa proceeded in a similar manner with Chun's victory. Panpoot and Shinhan's match was short and violent, ending with a vicious punch to ribs, the sound of snapping clearly audible. Really, the most memorable fight was the one between Krillin and Chaotzu.

"I can't believe you beat him with math," Upa snorted as Krillin walked out of the ring to join them in the spectator's area.

"I can't believe it worked," Krillin admitted, "Kinda wishing I hadn't won right now, though."

That comment surprised both Upa and Yamcha, and the Indian youth glanced at him curiously, "Why not?"

"Did you _see_ the look that Crane School guy gave me afterwards?" Krillin shivered, "And I have to fight him next!"

Yamcha gave him a light punch in the shoulder, "Hey, like I said earlier, the three of us are close. It's gonna be a fight that relies more on skill than brute strength."

And it was a close match – close in strength, close in speed… but not close in one area. Yamcha had forgotten a key difference between the three of them. Yamcha had been in life-or-death battles before – the life of a desert bandit was a dangerous one and tengu were not known for their mercy. Shinhan was training to be an assassin, and the lessons he had received were cold and lethal. Krillin… was sixteen. He was sixteen and he'd grown up in a monastery – he'd never been in a fight where his life was on the line, and as a result he lacked a certain edge, a lack that showed in his style. The youth managed to dodge his own Kamehameha when the triclops bounced it back at him, and even twisted around the kick to the chest in mid-air that followed. However before he could reorient himself the taller man had struck him with a lethally quick blow that knocked him out of the ring and into the wall of the spectator's area with a sickening snap. Shinhan moved on to the final match with a triumphant sneer and Krillin was taken away by the medics to be treated for a broken collarbone.

Yamcha approached his own match with grim determination, only to halt at a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Jackie Chun standing there, a mild expression on his face.

"One of us is going to have to fight that misguided young man, my boy," he said conversationally, "And I remember you from the last tournament. Probably gotten a lot stronger since then?"

"Yes sir," Yamcha replied, confused.

"Good," Chun nodded, "Then come at me with all your strength, right from the get-go, but if you have any new tricks up your sleeves, keep them there." He headed into the arena before Yamcha could respond.

OoOoOoOoO

 _Nobody yell at Krillin, okay, please? No one is born with gender or sexuality knowledge, not everyone is exposed to it early on – I actually learned most of what I know about sexuality beyond hetero pretty late, older than sixteen. The point I'm trying to make here is, he messed up, yes, but it was from a place of legit ignorance, not ill intent, and the moment he learned he was acting in a way that wasn't okay, he apologized and did his best to correct his behaviour. I'm very fond of Krillin, but he can be a little awkward at times._

 _And his first fight with Chaotzu is AMAZING, definitely look it up in the anime or manga if you haven't seen it. DBZ could have used a few more fun battles like that one. ;)_

 _Krillin and Upa met when Krillin went to Karin tower for training, and they're actually pretty good friends in this universe._

 _The saiyans aren't fighting in this tournament partially because it wouldn't be a challenge for them, so they don't see the point (okay, Raditz is at Yamcha's level but he considers himself a mechanic more than a warrior at this point), and also because it's for 'the strongest under the heavens.' And they're technically_ _ **from**_ _the heavens, so they don't qualify. ;D_

… _okay, yeah, thin excuse. But let's be honest… it's more interesting this way. ;)_


	2. Chapter 2

_Quick note, King Piccolo will not be showing up here. I had vague plans for him later in the series but, well, didn't get written. So for now be content to know that he's still sulking in his rice cooker on the ocean floor._

Champion 2

The match that followed was… surprising. Yamcha had done as Chun asked – gone at him with all his power from the start. They had exchanged a few blows and then, to his amazement, Chun had backed off and conceded the match.

"It's important for us old-timers to know when to step out of the way and let the young handle their own problems," the old man said cheerfully as he walked out of the ring, leaving Yamcha and the announcer staring at him.

"All right then, Yamcha wins!" the announcer declared, "We'll have a ten minute break, then start the final match to discover who is truly the strongest under the heavens!"

Yamcha waved at Upa, then went to where his friends were watching from the edge of the stands. Geta was holding his sign again and had acquired a white kerchief and some large sunglasses, covering most of his hair and half his face. Raditz was actually kneeling so the people behind him could see, arms resting on the dividing wall, and Bulma was arguing with a blonde woman next to her – apparently her friend Lunch had decided to attend as well.

"Are you crazy?" Bulma was saying, "The guy's a jerk!"

"He's savage perfection and I want him!" the other woman responded hotly.

"Oh hurry up and sneeze already," Bulma muttered before turning her attention to Yamcha. "Hey there, congrats on making it to the final match this time!" The rest of the group added their congratulations as well, Pu'ar bouncing up and down in midair in her excitement.

Yamcha rubbed the back of his neck, pleased and a little embarrassed, "Thanks, guys. Where's Roshi?"

"Probably taking off that wig and checking up on Krillin," Geta said casually, "And I _thought_ that's what you said his name was earlier. What's with the 'Jackie Chun' thing? Is it a stage name?"

"What." Yamcha said, tone flat.

"A stage name," Geta clarified, "I've read about them. You know, a fake name actors use for-"

"No, I know what a stage name is," Yamcha interrupted, "I mean, what do you mean Roshi's taking off a wig?"

"That guy you just fought, he was the little guy's teacher," Raditz spoke up.

"How could you possibly know that?" Lunch demanded, "I live with that pervert – mostly 'cause he's got an island with no extradition treaties – and, amongst other things, he's bald as an octopus!"

Geta shrugged, unbothered, "Maybe, but his scent's the same. And humans don't usually bother to change their scents."

"It's not something we usually notice," Yamcha said weakly, "Kami, no wonder he didn't need to fight me long – he probably had me mapped out in the first few moves!" he sat down abruptly, because he'd just fought the 'invincible old master' of the martial arts world. And the man had surrendered to him.

Holy shit.

"Finally realize what your brief taste of victory is going to cost you?"

He looked up to see Shinhan smirking down at him, arms folded, "You've been lucky up until this point, but you're luck's just run out."

Yamcha pushed himself to his feet. He could consider the implications of what had just happened later. "I wouldn't be so sure if I was you. Remember, I've seen you go all out before, but you haven't seen me do the same yet."

"THAT LAST TIME WAS A FLUKE!" the triclops snarled, all good humour leaving his face, "I've gone far beyond what I was back then! And after I win this tournament I'll be coming for you!" he added, pointing at Geta.

"Me?" Geta squeaked, "What did I do? We've never met before!"

"Don't think you can fool me with that pathetic disguise," the tall man sneered, jerking a thumb at his face, "Nothing escapes my eyes for long! I'm going to break your friend here, and, after that, you're next. And you won't be protected by tournament rules that forbid death."

"Aw, I was kinda hoping to avoid fighting you today…" Geta rubbed the back of his neck, looking awkward.

"CONTESTANTS PLEASE ENTER- OH, YOU'RE BOTH HERE ALREADY. WELL, IN ANY CASE, PLEASE GET ON THE STAGE, THE FINAL MATCH IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!"

Shinhan narrowed his eyes at Geta. "This isn't over." Then he turned and jumped onto the stage, and Yamcha vaulted after him. Silently they made their ways to opposite sides of the stage and turned to face each other.

"ALL RIGHT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE MOMENT YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR HAS ARRIVED, THE MOMENT WE FIND OUT WHO IS TRULY THE STRONGEST UNDER THE HEAVENS! WILL IT BE YAMCHA, WITH HIS DEFT WOLF FANG? WILL IT BE TIEN SHINHAN OF THE CRANE SCHOOL? FIND OUT RIGHT NOW AT THE TENKAICHI BUDOKAAAAAAAI~!" the announcer cheered with his usual enthusiasm for a good match, "BEGIN!"

One of the things Son Gohan had drilled into Yamcha's head was the importance of the pre-match greeting, the bow of respect from one artist to another. However taking his eyes off the assassin for even an instant seemed like a phenomenally bad idea.

Unfortunately, his moment's hesitation over this gave Shinhan the opening he needed to close and make the first strike, a vicious jab to the gut that Yamcha barely blocked in time. They grappled for a moment, then sprang apart, the triclops with a smirk, the ex-bandit with a relieved expression.

"What are you so pleased about?" Shinhan called out, "You barely broke my hold!"

Yamcha grinned at him, "It's because you're definitely the stronger of us – I can't punch that hard."

"Oh?" Shinhan raised an eyebrow, "Don't think complimenting me is going to save you from the beating I have in store for you."

"That's not why I'm smiling or why I said it."

"Then why?"

Yamcha's expression grew wicked, "Because you may be stronger, but I'm used to fighting stronger opponents – and you can't hit what you can't see! Wolf Pack!"

And Yamcha blurred, trailing after-images. It didn't work well on Geta or other people who could sense ki, but with his remarks about 'pathetic ki-sensers' earlier, Yamcha seriously doubted the other man could-

Training with saiyans had sharpened his reflexes far past what Yamcha had previously thought possible, and now they saved him from a sudden rough-house kick as he moved through his illusory selves to set up a strike from behind. He jinked to the side and the kicked brushed past a scant inch from his chest.

"I told you," Shinhan said, spinning to face him, "Nothing escapes my eyes. Illusions won't work on me – though you were right about one thing."

That was a surprise. "I was?"

The triclops smirked. "Indeed. You _can't_ hit what you can't see – SOLAR FLARE!"

Yamcha holed like the wolves his style was named for, clutching his eyes and automatically sending his ki-sense into overdrive to compensate, thus managing to avoid Shinhan's fist and instead land a sharp strike to the man's stomach as he attacked his 'helpless' opponent.

"How did you do that?" Shinhan gasped as Yamcha pressed his attack, eyes still half-closed and streaming.

"Don't you remember where we first met?" Yamcha taunted, dodging a kick, "What did you _think_ I was learning from the ki-sensing master?" he broke off, leaping back to rub his aching eyes, "And you can get about the same results by throwing a handful of sand in your opponent's face."

"Hn, a cheaper trick," the triclops snorted.

"Hey, what can I say? Sometimes my boyfriend fights dirty."

"It's a legitimate tactic!" Raditz protested at the looks this comment earned him from the rest of the group.

"Anyway, have to admit, your technique's _way_ more annoying – dirt doesn't leave sunspots," Yamcha continued, dodging another punch.

They exchanged another flurry of blows then broke apart again, watching each other warily.

"You're not bad," Shinhan admitted, "I have pegged you for all talk, but apparently you have actual skill."

"Thanks," Yamcha wiped his forehead, "You give a pretty clean fight for a guy who's training to be an assassin. Reconsidering destroying my friend over there?"

"Oh no, he humiliated me, he signed his own death warrant," the triclops replied, "I'm reconsidering maiming you, though."

"…I'll take it," Yamcha shrugged, "So, we've established that you can see through illusions and you're stronger – let's see how well you can match my speed! Flashing Wolf Fang Fist!"

Yamcha had been developing a few new techniques since his experience with saiyan-hood, but this one he had been working on for much longer than that. He was already naturally fast, but now his speed skyrocketed as he channeled ki into his arms and legs, his movements too quick for the normal eye to see.

Too quick for the normal eye, but Tien Shinhan's eyes were about as far from ordinary as it was possible to be, and he was able to follow the ex-bandit's moves.

That didn't mean he could block them. And while Yamcha wasn't as strong as him the man was precise, aiming for sensitive or vital areas – between the ribs, solar plexus, kidneys, the back of the knee – and too many of these strikes were connecting.

Then, all of a sudden, the blows stopped and Yamcha staggered, his sudden cease of movement combining with his previous momentum to carry him forcibly to the ground.

"I'M NOT SURE WHAT JUST HAPPENED, FOLKS, BECAUSE FRANKLY I COULD BARELY SEE A THING, BUT IT APPEARS TIEN SHINHAN HAS LANDED WHAT COULD BE THE WINNING BLOW! HIS FLURRY OF SPEED STOPPED, YAMCHA IS DOWN FOR ONE… TWO…"

Yamcha struggled to rise but his body wouldn't listen to him. His chest ached from a blow that had connected before he fell, but surely it couldn't have been enough to leave him _this_ helpless, it didn't hurt _that_ much-

"FIVE… SIX…"

"STOP IT!"

Control of his limbs returned as quickly as it had abandoned him, and Yamcha pushed himself to his feet to see Shinhan glaring at his friend and a man who was probably the Crane Sen'nin. Nothing was being said that he could hear, but Yamcha had been around Raditz and Kakarrot enough to recognise a telepathic argument when he saw one. Huh. He hadn't known humans could do that…

"Tien Shinhan, how dare you!" the old man snapped, switching abruptly to the spoken word, "He witnessed your humiliation, the humiliation of the Crane School at the hands of some backwater hicks! I am your master and mentor, and I ORDER you to destroy him!"

"I WON'T!" Shinhan yelled back, "I don't need help to defeat him, it is beneath me to cheat like this, and beneath you to make Chaotzu do that! I've surpassed you, _and_ Master Taopaipai – I don't have to listen to you anymore! And I'll fight and win this tournament by my own power!"

"If you won't obey, you aren't an asset anymore," the Crane Sen'nin snapped, "You're a liability! And liabilities can't be allowed to live! Chaotzu, paralyze them both – I'll kill them myself!"

Yamcha braced himself against the return of the paralysis, but nothing happened, and he turned to see the boy in question shaking as he stared at his master.

"B-but I- I don't _want_ to hurt Tien… A-and-"

He didn't get a chance to finish as the Crane Sen'nin grabbed the front of his changshan and hoisted him into the air. "So, you choose to be a liability as well, do you?!"

"NO YA DON'T!"

Yamcha and Shinhan both jumped out of the way as a huge ki blast shot across the stadium and hit the Crane Sen'nin dead on, sending him flying off into the distance and Chaotzu tumbling to the side only to find himself suspended in the air by the ankles, staring into a face that was tilted to the side.

"What exactly _are_ you, anyway?" Geta asked, setting the boy down carefully, "I've been wondering."

Everyone else turned to see Jackie Chun, aka Muten Roshi, lowering his hands from the Kamehameha position with a satisfied expression. "Don't mind me, just taking care of an interference to the match. Carry on, you two!"

Yamcha nodded and turned back to his opponent, falling into a stance as he did. "So, you ready to concede the match?"

"Not just yet," the triclops replied, turning to face him as well, "I might not be able to catch you on my own, but I'd be interested to see how you fair against more than one opponent."

"Well you're out of luck, this isn't a team competition," Yamcha grinned.

"Isn't it?" Shinhan smirked back, "Multi-form!"

Yamcha gaped. Where one man had stood, now there were four identical copies. Each had about a quarter of the original's ki, but Yamcha could still only punch one person at a time. "You're just full of surprises today, aren't you," he grumbled, "Well, here goes – Flashing Wolf Fang Fist!"

Again, he managed to connect most of his blows, and to greater effect than before, but facing four opponents was very different than facing one, and after a few very busy minutes Yamcha found himself pinned by three of the men while the fourth descended with lethal force. There was a harsh snap and Yamcha screamed.

"Yamcha!" Pu'ar wailed as her friend clutched his leg and Shinhan returned to being a single entity.

"B-bastard," Yamcha gritted out, "You said you were going to avoid crippling me!"

"I meant permanently," the triclops folded his arms, looking down at him, "It was a clean break, so it'll heal well. And you may be swift, but even you can't run on a broken leg. You're down, admit defeat."

"I'm not done yet," Yamcha growled, forcing himself to stand near the edge of the stage, putting all his weight on one leg while the other hung useless and painful, "I might not be able to run, but I can still fight – and you used a lot of ki with that technique. If I fight smart, you'll wear yourself out, and I'm good at fighting like that!"

Shinhan stared at him for a moment, a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead and breathing just a touch harder than normal from the rapid ki expenditure. "Fine," he unfolded his arms and began to rise into the air, "In that case I'll end this quickly – one last shot to see who's better! I recommend you dodge, ki senser, or I won't be held responsible for the outcome!"

There came a horrified yell from the stands as Shinhan brought his hands into a triangular formation in front of his chest, "NO TIEN, NOT THAT TECHNIQUE!" at the same time Roshi swore and shouted, "DODGE IT, MAN!"

"Sound advice," Shinhan called down from his place in the sky, "KI KO HO!"

Several things happened very quickly after that.

Shinhan's Ki ko ho fired-

Yamcha decided to risk the agony of flying with a broken leg and took to the air-

The Ki ko ho hit its intended target, the Budokai stage-

And bounced off it, straight back up to its creator-

Shinhan swore and barely dodged out of the way of his own blast-

And turned to see Yamcha flying behind him. "FIST OF THE WOLF FANG!"

His ki already almost gone from the attack, Shinhan dropped from the sky to hit the ground behind the intact stage. Yamcha landed veeeery gently on the stage, wincing anyway, face white and soaked with sweat, and said, quietly but firmly, "I win." Then he shifted, broken bone grated on itself, and he passed out from the pain.

Absolute _dead_ silence reigned.

"HA, THAT'S RIGHT, SUCK IT! MESS WITH MY WORK, WILL YOU?! _SCIENCE IS MY BITCH!_ "

"The hell did you _make_ that stage from, Bulma?!"

"Trade secret."

"AND, UM, IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A WINNER, FOLKS! CONTESTENT YAMCHA IS THE STRONGEST UNDER THE HEAVENS. ALSO, APPARENTLY THE NEW STAGE WAS WORTH WHAT WE PAID FOR IT! NOW COULD SOMEONE GET THIS MAN TO A DOCTOR?"

Pu'ar darted onto the stage, followed by the rest of the group, and turned herself into a magic carpet, and Raditz and Geta lifted Yamcha onto her, careful not to jostle him too badly. Chaotzu had run over to Shinhan, who was sitting up and groaning. After seeing to Yamcha, Geta nipped over to the side of the stage where the two Crane School students were.

"Hey, I know you wanna kill me and all, but could you do it later? You're looking kinda half-dead and, anyways, there's a lot of witnesses right now."

"Fine," Shinhan waved him off with a tired gesture, "But rest assured, I will come to repay you for my humiliation."

" 'kay," Geta turned to go, but halted at a hand on his shoulder.

"And tell your friend… it was a good fight." Tien stood and turned, "Come, Chaotzu." He started to leave, only to be halted himself as Lunch ran over and grabbed his arm.

"Wait, don't go! Your callous savagery has captured my heart!"

The triclops blinked, startled, "Um, flattering as that is, I have a few things I need to do first. Perhaps another time?"

The blonde woman frowned but nodded, and the Crane students left.

"Wow, Lunch," Bulma blinked, having witnessed the exchange, "I'm surprised."

Lunch raised an eyebrow at her, "Why?"

Bulma shrugged. "You're usually more insistent than that when you're- uh- you're usually more persistent."

The blonde woman smirked. "I stuck a tracking chip on him. I can find him whenever I want." Putting her hands behind her head, she walked off towards Krillin and Roshi, whistling.

OoOoOoOoO

An hour later, Yamcha stood in the ring again, this time on crutches, to accept his title and prize money. Many of the spectators had gone home, but the Turtle School master and student remained, as did Upa, and of course Yamcha's group, and they cheered when he shook hands with the announcer, and the ex-bandit turned to smile at them. His leg still hurt, though the painkillers they'd given him had helped, and Roshi had warned them that this probably wasn't the last they'd hear from the Crane School, and if Krillin's progress in the past months was any indication the teen was growing into a major power house, one Yamcha wasn't sure he'd be able to beat come the next Budokai.

He shook his head. None of that mattered – they were concerns for the future, not the present. Right now was his moment of triumph. He was the champion and, raising one hand, he accepted his applause.

OoOoOoOoO

 _And thus Bulma's catchphrase is finally revealed. (grins) Also, surprise! All those mentions of Bulma working on a stronger stage for the Budokai throughout this series weren't throwaway lines at all, this has been in the works since the very first fic!_

 _For anyone wondering, Geta's using the same 'disguise' Gohan did at the Budokai. ;) Also, the reason Roshi got away with his 'Jackie Chun' disguise originally was because he knew about Goku's amazing sense of smell and hid his scent with strong cologne. In this version he's never met Goku, obviously, and didn't think there'd be any need to disguise his scent, as it's not usually a problem._

 _You know, it's interesting, but when I wrote this segment it was the most terrifying thing I'd ever written? More than a cheerful Vegeta or Raditz and Yamcha as a couple or making Paragus and Broly good guys, getting Yamcha the skills he needed to win and putting him in the position to do so was terrifying, because he's so thoroughly characterized as the guy who always loses, both in fandom and in canon, the worst of the best. And that's such a terrible thing to be – I know this for a fact because it's a title I've held myself, and I didn't even have people giving me crap for it. It grinds away at your self-confidence and makes you seriously question why you ever thought you were so special in the first place. That was something that lasted two years for me, then I quit. Yamcha, in contrast, holds this position for seventeen years in canon before retiring as a fighter, and even afterwards he still shows up to cheer for his friends during their fights, and going from participant to spectator is another extremely difficult thing to do, which I've had the opportunity to do but never actually managed, because it was too painful. And that's why I admire Yamcha, for his strength not in body but in spirit, and I why I wanted to give him this. He might never be on the top again, even in this universe, but you know what, that's okay. I don't want him to be the best. I just wanted him to have a chance to shine. :)_


End file.
